Monster Hunter
by the catalyst
Summary: A hunter and his prey, the struggle between the two- one for survival, one for victory. One-shot for now, might change it to a collection of such stories or one big one. Please R&R and tell me what you think nya. :3 NOTE: fairly explicit violence. O.o
1. Prologue: Death of a Khezu

The sound of a small bird chirping on his window sill woke him slowly from the depths of sleep. He opened his eyes, only to close them again immediately as the bright sunlight speared down through the open windows. He stretched gently, loosening his sore muscles and sinking back down onto his bed. He took a deep whiff of the crisp mountain air, still cold and knife-sharp as it blew down from the snowy peaks. It was always like this in the weeks following a hunt. Everything seemed so beautiful, so clear, so.. _peaceful_.

And it had only been a few weeks ago that he had been fighting for his life up in the cold, white, treacherous wasteland that was the mountain peak. He sighed and rested his forearm on his forehead, shielding his eyes from most of the morning sun. All the bad memories, all the hardships, and the near-death experiences, melted and ran together, and reformed into a single memory which never ever held the frustration, misery and the despair of each individual moment. He fought to keep them all, as he felt it all beginning to slip away like a bad dream.

It was the one fight he could never seem to win, no matter how many times he fought it.

---

The wind howled outside his makeshift shelter like the screams of every hunter who had died out here in this miserable weather. He pushed aside the flap of leather shielding him from the elements. Overnight, it had frozen into one solid sheet of ice, and he had to push hard against the weight of the snow outside to get it open. When it finally did, he wished he hadn't immediately. A blast of wind invaded the little alcove he had found the day before, whipping around and instantly reducing the once-warm atmosphere inside, and coating everything in a fine coating of snow. It would have been something almost beautiful if it hadn't been for the fact that he had been out in the same old weather for the last week.

He cursed it all loudly, his voice lost in the raging blizzard like his prey had the day before. Shouldering his way through the thin wall of ice and snow he had constructed to shelter him from the elements for the night, he turned to pick up his equipment and supplies before they were buried under the omnipotent snow.

His limbs felt heavy as lead, and he had to constantly wipe his goggles to be able to see where he was going. Step by step he followed the cliff face to his right closely, not daring to deviate in case he found the edge of the narrow shelf that he traversed. This blizzard had been blowing for the good part of a day, night and looked like it had no intentions of stopping anytime soon. He cursed again under his breath, there was no possible way to track the beast by its tracks or spoor. His only lead was the general direction it had been limping after he had shredded its left wing webbing, and slashed its hamstring. The only thing that had saved the beast from a vengeful death was the blizzard, which had blown out of nowhere, reducing visibility to almost zero, and forcing him to seek shelter for the night.

He kept a hand firmly on the cliff face beside him, trudging through the thigh-deep snow step by painstaking step, the blizzard covering the little trench he created behind him within a matter of seconds. Knowing the nature of the beast, it would have sought shelter in any nearby cave. All he had to do was seek out an opening to a cave, and not only would he be out of the elements, he would have a high chance of encountering the thing, since it was in no condition to return to its nest after what he had done to it.

The snow continued to blow, pummelling him with needles of ice that somehow found their way past his armour and the layer of warm clothing he wore beneath it. He had no idea how long he had been following this cliff, but his stamina wasn't going to last and he had no illusions about the limits of his own body. He was gasping for breath now, each ice-cold mouthful of air searing his lungs like fire.

Just when he was on the verge of seeking a niche in the cliff to shelter under to recover his energy, his foot slipped on something. It felt like a drop, but to his _right_? He cried out in alarm as he felt himself sink under the snow, making him lose his balance. His face met the cliff, his helmet slamming into.. and _through_ it in a shower of numbingly cold ice shards. He didn't even have the energy to scream as he rolled helplessly down a steep, rocky slope, every part of his body battered by jagged rocks that seemed to find all the soft places in his armour.

Finally, he had come to a stop, laying in a groaning heap at the bottom, gasping for breath and trying to work out whether he had broken anything. Eventually, he made himself stand, and take his bearings. Removing his goggles and pulling down his face veil, he stared around him. He had fallen through a thin wall of ice, which had given away under his weight, and even now was being covered over by the blizzard. Soon the hole he had made would disappear, leaving no sign of his passage. He sniffled, shaking the snow off his body and getting his bearings.

The cave was lit, albeit poorly, by the ice that covered the once open entrance. As his sense of smell was slowly restored along with some degree of warmth in his body, he could make out the distinct smell of flesh. The whole cave stank of it, a disgusting concoction of rotten flesh, the pungent smell of dried blood, and the sourness of digestive fluids. He wrinkled his nose, and reached back to unsheathe his weapons, sliding them slowly out of their sheaths with a slow, metallic sound. If the thing was in here, he didn't want to announce himself so quickly.

As he followed the cave, he noticed something on the ground that made his heart pound. It was frozen blood, darker, frozen stains against the icy rock. He knelt down, placing his blade down beside the frozen blood carefully, and ran a finger along the dark stain. Bringing it up to his nose, he sniffed his finger. No doubt about it, it was the beast he was after, and this was its blood.

Something moved in the darkness ahead, and he sprang into a defensive stance, sweeping his blade up and bringing them both up in front of him. He held his breath as he searched the cave around and in front of him for signs of movement. A deep snuffling echoed throughout the cave, it knew someone was here, and it was looking for him.

The entire cave shook as a deafening roar split the silence. It echoed around and around until it became a deafening cacophony of sound that made him drop his weapons and cover his ears.

It stopped as suddenly as it started, and the silence that followed was almost as deafening as the roar had been as he retrieved his weapons. Shaking his head desperately to stop the ringing, he stepped carefully forward, ready to move at any sudden movement. The beast had to be close to have sniffed him out this quickly.

He was so focussed on staring ahead that he almost missed the sudden movement above his head. Feeling the sudden pressure above him, he dove forward, skidding along the jagged ground face first and rolling uncontrollably as something horrific landed on the ground where he had been.

Rolling to his feet, he winced as a pain stabbed through his chest. It felt like a broken rib but he didn't have time to worry about it. The beast sniffed the air once more, its eyeless head searching for his location, a fetid puff of warm air condensing in front of its mouth with each snuffle. Even from a fair distance away he could smell its blood. It hadn't healed over much, and he had been counting on that.

The Khezu spun around to face him, its nose leading it to his precise location as its skin rippled with a repulsive peristaltic motion. The muscles under its transluscent skin was grey, and looked dead, if it wasn't for the veins that criss-crossed it like a maze, keeping the thing alive and breathing in such an unforgiving environment. He suddenly didn't feel so worn out anymore as the rush of combat overtook him.

Running straight at the wounded Khezu, he dove to one side as it leapt at him, throwing its entire flabby bulk forward in an attempt to crush the small human that had harassed it non-stop for the last three days. It landed with a deafening roar, the sheer volume of its voice and the shudder of its impact on the ground dislodging some ice shards from the ceiling.

As it struggled to get back up, he rushed towards its wounded leg. Aiming for its barely-clotted over wound, he hacked at it furiously with its blades, ripping it open within a matter of moments, releasing a spurt of thick red blood that made the huge beast momentarily lose its footing, forcing it to the ground once more.

Pushing the advantage, he continued to hack at the leg until he felt the jarring impact of metal on bone. The leg was a ruined mass of rent flesh and severed tendons, while arteries spilt their steaming lifeblood all over the ground. Changing his focus, he jumped over the ruined leg, ducking under the Khezu's flailing wing and headed for its neck. That was one of its weakest spots, and the only way to end it quickly.

Sensing what the small creature was about to do, the giant wyvern flailed harder, its breath snorting forth from its nostrils like steam vents as it tried again and again to get up, without much success. He smiled to himself as he thrust one of his blades deep into the Khezu's fleshy neck right behind its leech-like jaw.

It didn't have the effect he thought it would. Instead of crying out weakly and struggling, the Khezu roared in agony, the sheer force of the sound knocking him off his feet to land sprawling on his backside.

Before he could get back up, the Khezu's body trembled, and he heard the distinct buzzing of the Khezu's trademark defence.

He screamed in agony as the electricity rushed through his body, ravaging his nerves and throwing him back hard against the wall of the cave. The back of his head hit something jagged, and he _felt_ his helmet dent as black spots danced in front of his eyes. He barely had time to roll out of the way as the Khezu followed up its electricity with its jaw, extending its neck as if it was made of rubber, its maw open wide to swallow him whole.

Having missed its target, the Khezu's jaw slammed into the rock beside his head, smashing the rock apart and showering him with razor-sharp chips of stone and ice.

He only had moments to act. Pushing his numb body beyond its limits, he reached out, and grasped the handle of the blade still stuck in the Khezu's neck as its neck retracted, dragging both hunter and blade along the ground as if he was being pulled by wild horses. He cried out in pain once more as his broken ribs jarred against the rough rock surface.

The beast didn't give him a chance to recover. Sensing that he was attached to the painful thing stuck in its neck, it began swinging its neck around wildly in an attempt to dislodge him.

Holding on grimly to his weapon, the hunter was slammed repeatedly against the walls and floor of the cave as the Khezu's struggles became ever more desperate. Through the red haze of pain that threatened to drive him over the edge, he raised his other weapon, and slammed it down with all his might into the top of the Khezu's neck. Blood vented forth from the horrendous wounds, covering them both in the reeking, sticky liquid.

With one last effort, the Khezu screamed, only to gurgle wetly as the hunter twisted the first blade he had thrust into its neck, invading its vocal passage, and flooding it with its own blood. Bloody red bubbles streamed from the Khezu's mouth like drool, and its struggled began to weaken. It was slowly choking on its blood, but the hunter still resolutely refused to let go.

Finally, with one last wheeze, the Khezu fell limp, its head hitting the blood-soaked ground with a wet thud, its body twitching in its last death throes. He finally let go of both his blades, rolling onto his back, not caring that he was almost bathing in the blood of his prey. His breath came in ragged gasps, and he struggled with every ounce of energy he had to stay conscious as the consequences of what he had just done came crashing down on his body like a load of dragonite ore.

---

He smiled grimly at the memories. In a few weeks, all he would recall would be how he had heroically managed to kill the Khezu in its own cave, carved it up and brought back the trophies back to the village in triumph. Not the back-breaking days he had spent in agony, dragging what he could carve and carry from the dead Khezu with him back to the village, and collapsing at its front gate.

There was a rustle of material, and the soft padding of paws on rug. A felyne's face popped up over the edge of the bed beside him, and gave him a grin. "Nya! You're recovering well, Gastronome!" it miaowed happily, fussing over the blankets covering his body and tucking him in carefully. "We've made something hot and healthy for you to drink nya, Hannah should be along with it shortly, but you know how slow and careful she had to be with the tray nyao.'

He turned to look at the small, cream-coloured felyne with its one brown ear.

"Thank you, that would be nice," he smiled warmly.


	2. The two Wyverns

The twin-hulled raft slid through the murky waters. Cecil dipped the paddle slowly into the water, guiding the small boat carefully through the nightmare tangle of roots and trees in the mangrove. Dark, gnarled branches bereft of leaves reached towards the sky as if the trees themselves were trying to reach past the iron-grey clouds in a vain effort to grasp the sun

He had started out from the village two days ago, the guild of hunters providing him with the information as to the whereabouts of a wyvern. His felynes had packed a quick bag of equipment and long-lasting food for him before he left the village. Cecil had never been to the swamp before, but he had done his homework, and scrounged as much information from the guild as he could. He felt he was as prepared as he was going to be without any experience.

The entire place exuded a depressing aura, and it was so different from the mountains he was used to hunting in. It was hard going here, and twice he had been soaked to the skin by downpours that seemed to come like the blizzards up in the mountains. Dark, dirty rain that stank faintly of mud and excrement.

Cecil hummed to himself as he looked up at a sky that wasn't so much _blue_ as like a piece of paper that had been handled by one too many grubby hands. Ahead he could see a break in the skeletal trees, and the dark shadow of the not-too distant shore beyond.

"Finally," he smiled, crawling back under the little shelter he had constructed on the raft, and checked his equipment. His armour smelled faintly like the swamp around him, but thankfully Hannah- clumsy though thoughtful- had packed him a change of clothes, which had kept well in an oilskin parcel. She might be as prone to breaking things as a popo in a china shop, but she had forethought, and more than once it had saved Cecil's life and provided him with just that little something that made things seem better.

Cecil's raft cruised past what looked like giant, round leaves on stalks, and came to a rest on the muddy shore. Laughing with relief, Cecil hopped off the boat, and waded the last few feet to relatively solid ground, dragging his boat behind him and taking a deep whiff of the swamp air. He was here, and he felt strangely triumphant though he hadn't done a thing. It was a whole new world, and an entirely new environment to explore. In all honesty though, he preferred the blasting cold winds and the snow to this.. _wet_.

He looked around surreptitiously for other people. Of course there weren't any. Satisfied he wasn't going to be spied on, he stepped out of his dirty clothes, and donned his armour. The familiar feel as the treated material was secured to his body made him feel a lot more comfortable in this alien environment. Securing the tasset around his waist and strapping his weapons holster over his chest, he took stock of the situation. He was here, and the monster was somewhere out there. According to the guild, it was most likely to hand around an area roughly two days' hard march North North West of his landing spot.

The shore was a thin little band of muddy soil, cut off abruptly by sheer rocks that had vegetation clinging precarious to what little cracks they could find. One narrow path enclosed by the rocks led off deeper into the swamp, it wasn't in the direction he wanted to go in, but it was the only way into the swamp unless he wanted to try and scale the rock walls.

Cecil shrugged the strap of his pack more comfortably on his shoulder, and set off into the dank swamp.

---

Cecil crawled ever so slowly forward in the ankle-deep water, keeping one hand poised near his blades while the other he used for balance. He narrowed his eyes, and advanced another few feet. His quarry was right in front of him now, no more than a few metres away, unaware of its impending death. He tried not to breathe too loudly, this one he had tracked for the good part of a day, and he wasn't about to lose it now.

"HA! Got you now, dinner!" a voice yelled out, quickly followed by a shrill warcry. He was just as startled and shocked as his prey when a figure leapt high into the air from the rocks surrounding the little clearing, and slammed down hard on the watery ground, sending a wave of fetid water and mud in all directions. Cecil spluttered and tried to cover his face as the water and mud hit him full on.

When everything settled down, he wiped as much of the brown sludge off his face, and looked in amazement as the figure hefted the hammer onto her shoulder. It was a girl, the shapely figure and body-hugging armour could hardly be mistaken for a man's. She grinned in triumph down at the pulverised skull of the unfortunate Aptonoth, a red mess that could only be recognised as a head by the fact that it was attached to the thing's neck.

He struggled to his feet, his armour covered in the brown sludge that was everywhere in this accursed swamp. The girl's grin faded when she saw him stand, pulling the hammer off her shoulders and glaring at him threateningly. Cecil put his hands up in a conciliatory gesture, and she lowered her hammer, though she didn't lower the suspicious glare.

"Just a fellow hunter, that's all," he said out loud. Some hunter, what sort of hunter yells at their prey first to warn them of their presence? Though the hammer didn't look too bad.. he conceded.

"Who the hell are you? I thought you were some sort of monster rising from the swamp," she kept her eyes trained on him as Cecil began striding towards her to get a better look at the newcomer.

Her armour was unlike anything he had seen up in the mountains. It looked like it was metal, and yet it had the unmistakeable sheen of polished shell- some sort of treated shell he had never seen before. Blue shell over silver metal, it looked a lot tougher than his mail and hide armour. Training his eyes up, he got a good look at her face. High cheekbones, raven hair and equally black eyes made put together an uncompromising expression that made her look like she had just found a cockroach in her food. Her hammer, however, was something he couldn't understand. It had an _anvil_ for a head, and here this girl was lifting and carrying the thing like it was nothing. Either that thing wasn't as solid as it looked, or this girl was a _lot_ stronger than she looked. By the way the hammer had impacted, he doubted it was any less solid than it looked.

"Cecil, a hunter down from the mountains. I was informed by the hunter's guild that there was a good sized wyvern down here, I'm just on a quest for them," he said, looking down at himself. It wasn't hard to see how she had mistaken him for some beast from the swamp, he may as well have been part _of_ the swamp.

"Well, you're not needed down here," she sniffed. "We can take care of our own, we don't need some guild lapdog to take care of our own problems for us." She gave him the most arrogant look as she put her hammer away, sliding the handle into a strap on her lower back, and securing the weapon. "Go back home, it's all been taken care of."

Cecil was stumped by the girl's sheer arrogance and venom. What was her problem? Had the wyvern really been taken care of, and he was just on a wild popo chase? "So you've killed the wyvern already?" he asked, trying to hold back his annoyance at being called a lapdog. No matter how apathetic, some things still stung.

The girl tossed her hair, slid her carving knife from its sheath on her hip, and gave him another look. "I said you're not needed around here, we can take care of our own business."

"You're not answering my questions," Cecil pointed out.

"I don't ha-"

Their conversation was rudely interrupted by the unmistakeable scream of a wyvern. It rang out over the clearing, followed quickly by the distant sound of wingbeats. Cecil reacted instantly, drawing his hooked blades from their sheaths on his back, his eyes searching the skies.

The girl swore in a very unlady-like manner (but there was hardly anything lady-like about her to begin with, so it seemed alright) and pulled out her hammer. "Get out of here," she said simply.

"I thought you took care of the wyvern?" Cecil asked her calmly, raising an eyebrow in question.

She didn't get time to answer. A massive shadow flew over them, and landed across them in the clearing, skidding to an awkward stop. No mistake, the thing matched the guild's descriptions, Cecil grinned to himself inside, lowering his body and raising his blades as the thing turned.

The Gypceros screeched again when it saw the two of them. The wyvern was similar in size to Khezus he had encountered, though this thing was a dark grey colour. A giant knob of bone made up its snout, and behind it above its eyes was what looked like a _crystal_, pulsing faintly and irregularly with a faint light.

It snapped its jaws, making a clicking sound that could be heard all the way from where they were. "I think it's angry," Cecil said casually.

"When it rears back, cover your eyes," the girl said quietly, all her former arrogance and confidence vanishing.

"Huh?" Cecil only had time for a brief look of confusion. The gypceros screamed, and charged at the two hunters standing near the dead Aptonoth. It ran in a clumsy fashion, its head whipping from side to side. Despite the way it ran, however, it was _fast_, and seemed to know where it was going.

The two hunters scattered as the giant wyvern barrelled past them, leaving a trail of ravaged vegetation and agitated water as it went. Cecil turned in time to see it trip over the corpse of the herbivore, sliding the last few metres on its belly until it stopped. Seeing the opening, Cecil sprinted for the downed wyvern.

It seemed the other hunter had the same idea, as they reached the gypceros at the same time. Cecil swinging his hooked sword at the wyvern's legs, intent on severing its hamstring, or at least tear a few muscles. To his surprise, his swords only managed to scratch the surface of the rubbery skin, barely drawing blood.

Rolling under the thing's stomach as it stood up, he stabbed his weapons upwards, hoping to puncture the softer skin of its belly. To his annoyance, his blows were deflected once more with minimal damage as even the sharpened hook ends of his blades failed to punch through the dark grey hide.

"How tough is this thing?!" he growled above the sound of the thrashing wyvern as it spun around and around, trying to find what was causing the annoying pricking sensation.

A hammer head came out of nowhere, smashing head on into the gypceros' leg, the wyvern screamed in agony, and thrashed its wings about. Cecil dove out from under it just as it took off into the sky, its wings raising splashes of muddy water as it backed away from the two hunters.

Cecil stood up, sheathing one of its swords and fumbling around in his pouch. He grunted with satisfaction as his hand encountered the orb. Throwing it direction at the retreating wyvern, he covered his eyes as the bomb went off. There was a blinding flash, and another scream from the wyvern.

"Ha, got you.." his sentence died in his throat as he opened his eyes, blinking as he watched the gypceros literally bouncing up and down with rage.

"You idiot! What did you go and do that for?!" the girl yelled at him. She obviously hadn't expected it, and was blinking her eyes furiously to get rid of the afterimages. "Cover your eyes!"

Cecil didn't have time to heed her warning when another, even brighter flash lit up the clearing. He cried out in pain as the flash registered on his eyes. It felt like his eyeballs had been wrenched out of their sockets, and all he could see was whiteness and faint shapes in the distance.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them as he heard the thudding and splashing of a charging gypceros. He couldn't see a thing!

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him roughly away as air rushed past him, and a wave of muddy water hit his face. "Freaking idiot," he heard the other hunter mutter, quickly followed by a quiet "uh oh.."

Cecil shook her hand off. Despite the fact that she had more likely than not just saved his life, the "uh oh" was of more pressing concern. _Nothing_ good came from an "uh oh". Ever.

His question was answered when an all-too familiar roar rang out over the swamp, louder than the gypceros, and one that Cecil had come to hate.

Cecil's vision was gradually returning, and he growled when he recognised the familiar white shape in the distance.

"Khezu.." he breathed.

"What? What _is_ that thing?" the girl asked. She was definitely scared now. So much for the tough hunter act, he shook his head.

Cecil rubbed his eyes as his vision came back enough for him to take stock of his surroundings. The khezu had landed opposite the gypceros, no doubt having sniffed out the aptonoth's corpse. Getting to his knees, Cecil looked back at the gypceros from behind the reeds they were hiding behind. The girl at least had enough sense to get the two of them into some sort of cover.

The two hunters completely forgotten, the gypceros turned to the khezu, and answered its scream with a roar of its own. Sniffing the air with that same, pig-like snuffling that set Cecil's nerves on edge, the khezu advanced slowly on the fallen aptonoth, ignoring the other wyvern in the area.

Cecil looked back at the girl, who was crouched down, staring at the scene with a terrified expression on her face.

"You've never seen a Khezu before?" Cecil whispered, keeping one eye on the gypceros as it stalked towards the Khezu, who had buried its snout in the red mess that was the Aptonoth's head. Cecil sneered, disgusting creature.

The girl shook her head dumbly.

"You're from around here, aren't you?"

Nod, nod.

He thought about this. The two of them weren't in any immediate danger, but if they could take out _both_ wyverns, the guild was sure to pay them handsomely for the trophies. "Are there any caves around here?"

"We're not supposed to go into them.." the girl muttered, embarrassment and humiliation forgotten in the face of the two giant beasts.

That'd be where the khezu came from, Cecil thought grimly as he watched the gypceros circle the newly-arrived wyvern. The flabby, white wyvern looked up from where it had buried its snout in the corpse, and growled menacingly at the other wyvern.

"Why didn't my flash bomb work on the gypceros?" Cecil asked. "And how the hell do you lift a hammer that big?" The last question had come out involuntarily. He figured if he was going to take advantage of her current state, he might as well sate his curiosity to its full.

"You saw what the gypceros did after you flashed it. If you flash it, the thing will only take it as a sign of challenge, and get angrier," the girl muttered. "And this hammer.." she frowned, and gave him a strange look. "What's that got to do with anything?" Having also realised they weren't about to be eaten alive at any second, some of her fire had returned.

Cecil shrugged, he almost had his answer. "If you can take out the gypceros- you seem to know what you're doing around it- I'll take out the khezu. I know how to deal with the thing, and if we do this, the guild will pay us a fat bonus," he added, ignoring her question. "Come on, while they're distracted we have the element of surprise."

Without warning, the khezu screamed, making both of them cover their ears to block out the painful noise. Cecil looked up in time to see the thing's neck lash forward, extending to four times its normal length, its jaw latching itself onto the gypceros' neck like a huge, disgusting leech.

The gypceros screamed and thrashed around in agony as dozens of razor teeth dug into its neck. Flailing around, the crystal on its head flashed again, in an effort to stun its attacker. The khezu ignored it, and began retracting its neck, pulling the other wyvern in. Its eyes had atrophied beyond redemption long ago somewhere along its evolution. If it couldn't even see what it was attacking, it sure wasn't going to be fazed by some bright light that barely registered on its visual sensors.

Cecil opened his eyes once more, and began crawling forward. A hand tugged at his arm, and he looked back. The girl chewed her lower lip, and glanced at the two struggling wyverns. "Are you sure we can do this..?" she asked.

He just shrugged. "We're hunters, aren't we?" he asked her pointedly.

The girl gave the wyverns another long look, then finally nodded. "But if we die it's all your fault," she warned him.

Despite the situation, Cecil grinned at her. This was more like it.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked back again in question. "What is it?"

"My name.. it's Terra," she whispered. "And try not to get in my way when you fight that ugly white thing.. the khezu," she added, before crawling off in another direction, circling behind the gypceros.

Cecil almost laughed.

Meanwhile, the two wyverns continued their tug-of-war. Both wyverns' feet scrabbled in the slippery mud, trying to find purchase. The gypceros was trying to snap at the khezu's neck, but couldn't bend its head far enough to reach, instead trying to dislodge it by sheer force as it thrashed about. The khezu was unfazed by its opponent's efforts to get free, its neck flexing and twisting into painful-looking angles as it refused to let go. Giving up trying to get free and its lifeblood streaming from around the khezu's jaws, the gypceros growled, its throat rippling as it gathered some substance in its mouth. It paused only briefly before it vomited forth a globule of purple slime all over the khezu's back and its right wing.

Even from across the clearing, Cecil could hear the sizzling of flesh as smoke started rising from the khezu's body where the slime had landed, and the pungent smell of burnt flesh filled his nostrils. The khezu smelled bad enough naturally, but this was almost beyond bearable. He tried not to breathe too deeply through his nose as he circled around the khezu, keeping his movements slow as to not startle the two combatants.

Letting go of the gypceros' neck, the khezu reared back, twisting its neck around in confusion as the purple substance burnt away its skin and twitching muscles beneath.

Another round of challenging roars rang out, the two wyverns now more wary of each other growling and snuffling, daring the other to make a move.

Cecil didn't give the khezu a chance to act. Leaping from behind it, he drove the hooked points of his blades deep into its leg where he knew it would do the most damage. Snarling, he opened his arms, tearing the thing's leg muscles and its disgusting skin wide open. A spurt of red blood splashed him as the wyvern staggered, its leg almost giving way under his initial attack.

He knew it wasn't going to be that easy, as the khezu spun to face him. All he could see was its dripping maw, its teeth and lips still red with the blood from the gypceros. It extended its neck, trying to kill the little annoying creature with its sharp arms.

Cecil ducked, and the khezu's neck went right over his head. He could see its windpipe, a slightly raised ridge under its neck where its windpipe took air to its lungs. He thrust upwards before it could retract its neck, trying to finish the thing off quickly.

His swords missed, the points of only grazing the tough pipe that ran along its fleshy neck.

Cecil didn't dare stay under the thing as its neck retracted. If it used its electric attack in a place like this, with the ground covered in water.. he had to keep its distance, to try and get it to chase him, but not too far so it'd decide to shoot electricity. Neither eventuality would end well for the hunters.. and probably the gypceros too.

Looking around, Cecil caught a glimpse of the other fight. Terra seemed to be holding her own against the gypceros as she said she would. The crystal on its head was smashed to pieces, and it was limping from its earlier injuries. Well, at least one of them was going well, he thought.

He had to get the khezu out of this area, and to somewhere where the terrain wouldn't pose a problem. He remembered there was a cave entrance that he had passed on his way here, though at the time he had been too focussed on hunting the aptonoths to investigate. It must be dry in there, where the thing's electricity wouldn't conduct, and kill them all.

Slowly, he began backing away from the khezu, keeping the other fight in his peripheral vision. He saw the gypceros vomit forth another blob of poison, only for Terra to dodge it, and smash it full in the face with her hammer, sending bone chips flying as she broke its snout crest.

The khezu sniffed the air as it followed him, cautious but not unwilling to attack. It crouched, and threw its entire bulk forward towards him. The sight of such a large mass of flabby flesh bearing down on him made Cecil dive further than he normally would have, sliding along the mud and water as the enormous wyvern landed with a bone-crunching splash behind him, sending up a wave of muddy water that washed over Cecil's prone body.

Standing up and spitting the foul-tasting water out of his mouth, Cecil wiped the gunk away from his eyes. "You are so dead," he muttered, watching the khezu trying to stand up after its pounce.

His advance was halted dead on its tracks by a _third_, almighty roar that made everyone in the clearing pause. The khezu staggered to its feet, but instead of attack Cecil, it raised its snout, and sniffed the air. Even the gypceros had stopped, looking around warily.

What could possibly scare a _wyvern_?

Another roar split the heavens, closer this time. Cecil winced and covered his ears. It wasn't the high-pitched screech of another khezu or gypceros, it was even worse than the roar of an adult tigrex that would echo over the mountain peaks. It was something that struck a chord deep in his psyche, and made him want to hide under a rock until whatever it was had gone away. He had only heard a roar similar to it once before in his life up on the mountain peak when he had been a child.

He had never found out what it was, and no one knew, or wanted to tell him what it was.

Looks like now he might find out.

Lightning flashed, dangerously close to where they were. It was followed by the deafening bellow of thunder as the heavens opened up. Torrential rain fell from the skies, instantly drenching them all. The hot rain was deafening in its cacophony, joined by thunder and lightning in a storm unlike anything he had seen before. Each bolt of lightning was a spear of light that lanced down from the sky, each roar of thunder the roar of a hundred wyverns, and in the background, the constant hiss of rain that made the entire swamp steam up in its unnatural heat. Soon, visibility was down to almost nothing.

The Khezu took off, clumsily with its still damaged wing. The gypceros quickly followed suit, Cecil could hear it staggering and limping away before it managed to get airborne, leaving the two hunters looking at each other in confusion through the curtain of falling water.

They moved towards each other instinctively, back to back.

"Is it another khezu?" Terra breathed as the two of them heard the deep _thump_, _thump_ of giant wings in motion.

Cecil shook his head. As much as he wanted to berate her stupidity, he couldn't. "I have no idea what it is," he admitted. Though we're about to find out, he thought. There was no need to speaking that thought out loud, because he knew both of them had the same thought.

His hands tightened on the grip of his weapon as a colossal shadow larger than anything he had seen before drew close. It was nothing more than an indistinct blob through the fog and the rain.

The shape landed on top of the rocks that surrounded the clearing. There was a terrified whimper from Terra, Cecil barely held back his own. he felt the earth-trembling crash, and saw claws bigger than anything he had ever seen grip the rocks, crushing and gouging them like chalk.

It trained its gaze on them as its wings flapped one more time, and folded up on its back. The wind from the one beat sent the two hunters sprawling onto their backsides, staring helplessly up at the incredible beast.

There was a deep rumbling from the thing's throat, and the massive wings flapped one more time, sending a sheet of water and irresistible wind that sent the two of them sprawling on their backsides.

Cecil saw the head lower, a maw that could have swallowed a khezu whole emerging from the fog. The two of them stared at it horror. The sheer size of the thing paralyzed their bodies with fear, and they were completely helpless to watch as it opened like a grave, revealing a mouthful of jagged teeth larger than they were.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the thing against the roiling, black clouds.

It roared.

The solid wall of sound knocked Cecil out quicker than he could register what had happened. One moment he was staring down its throat, the next he was plummeting over the edge into unconsciousness.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter nya :D I'm going to gradually try and introduce a storyline into this whole thing with each instalment. I'm not sure myself how this thing is going to play out, and I always enjoy watching my own stories play out of their own accord, it's so much funner that way. xD

Just a note on the whole gyppie poison thing, before you start complaining "it doesn't work that way! D: " I thought the whole acid approach was better than having the acid seep into the khezu's system, and poisoning it like venom, since acid is soooo much funner and have a more immediate and graphic effect. xP


	3. I've waited 10 years

Cecil shifted.

As he regained some form of consciousness, the two instinctive questions made themselves known in his mind. Where was he, and the lesser known but nevertheless an important one for hunters- was something going to eat him?

Slowly, each of his senses returned. Pain flooded his limbs, his mouth tasted like week-old popo dung, there was a strange, animal smell in the air, and he could hear distant yet somewhat familiar chatter in the background. He prayed the latter didn't involve a big metal pot of boiling water, and his body parts. Naïve he wasn't, but he had heard things, and having never travelled far from the mountains, there had been nothing to dispel those rumours. He always felt it was better to at least be sceptical.

Something poked him in the ribs. He groaned loudly, curling away from the source of the annoyance.

".. Think he's awake nya?" a voice said.

"Well he did make a sound nya.." a higher voice responded. This was followed by another bout of nudging.

"Mm.." Cecil groaned again, and flopped over onto his back.

The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a familiar face. Its furry ears twitched as its eyes studied him carefully.

"This one's finally awake nya!" the melynx said, moving away.

Another cat hove into view, another black melynx with white ear-tips. "Glad you're finally awake, nya! We found two of you out in the swamp passed out, after.." it paused, and an unreadable expression flickered across its face. "Well, you're up, and that's all that matter nya," it smiled.

Cecil tried to sit up, struggling on shaking arms. He felt small paws on his back, and a soft cushion thrust under him. He relaxed again. "Thank you, for saving our lives," he said quietly. Terra had probably survived too, since there hadn't been anyone else in their vicinity that he knew of when that thing had attacked them.

No, that was wrong. It _didn't_ attack them. It had landed, and roared at them. The fact that he was still alive was proof that it hadn't even tried to do anything beyond roaring at them. Unless.. unless he was dead, and this was the afterlife his village elder always talked about. He somehow doubted it- death couldn't be this sore.

Cecil took the chance to look around.

He was lying on a pallet, or rather four of them pushed together to accommodate his larger body. A collection of blankets had been laid over his body, brown and made of some coarse material he didn't recognise which fell away from his chest as he propped himself up a little more. There was a small fireplace with a chimney in one corner, small table with chairs, and an equally small bench top near the fireplace which looked like it was used for food preparation.

Around him were clustered half a dozen melynxes, and one felyne., all of them were black, with white ear tips, while the felyne was- to his surprise- pure cream.

He turned, and through the doorway streamed a dozen felines. They crowded around him, and meowed to each other, a few of them prodding him like he was a sack full of suspicious materials.

The cream coloured felyne meowed, and all the other ones fell silent. She moved through the press of fur, which parted reverentially to let her pass. Cecil watched this one with interest and more than a little apprehension.

"Sorry for my children's lack of manners, but we try to be hospitable nya," she said, smiling gently. "We don't get many humans, so I apologise for the lack of comfort, this was the best we could do. We have your armour and packs stored away securely."

Cecil tried to smile, and managed a weak one. "You've done more than enough, saving my life.." he looked around. "Where's Terra?"

The felyne's expression softened. "Your.. friend is up and about," she placed a small, furry paw on Cecil's hand. "She didn't want to leave before you woke up."

Cecil's cheeks heated up a little at that one. The felyne had the wrong idea.. but denying it would only prove otherwise. He merely smiled awkwardly, and kept quiet, while silently praying that he could be up and about soon.

--

It was another day before he could make himself stand up again, and one more before he was strong enough to wander about.

The village, to his surprise, wasn't as tiny as he thought it was. It was huge, more than twice the size of his home back up in the mountains. Wandering through it, however, he discovered that most of the buildings had fallen into much disuse. The scraggly forest that he had come to associate with the swamp had invaded, their moist, skeletal fingers clutching the ruined shells of what must have once been a thriving township. What little area the cats occupied was well-maintained- structures repaired, fires burned in hearths, and they seemed to lead a generally happy and peaceful existence if a little subdued.

The cream-coloured felyne was in charge of everything, from the foraging parties that were sent out to retrieve supplies, to the everyday running of the village itself. Her name was Reina, and every cat that lived in the village were her offspring, in total spanning four generations from Reina herself, to the tiniest of kittens. They all obeyed her without question, and was held in far more reverence than he had seen any village elder.

Cecil met Terra wandering through the ruins on the second day after he began his wanderings. He found her sitting on the tumbled-down remains of a dry wall, staring aimlessly off towards the swamp-encroached part of the village. She was dressed in a thick jacket and pants made of material he hadn't seen before, and was a lot finer than his own popo skin fur coat. Why hadn't she left yet? Wasn't her home around here somewhere..?

He snuck up behind her, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. The contact made the girl flinch and stumble off the wall. She spun clumsily, taking up a defensive stance, relaxing only a little when she saw it was him.

Cecil grinned weakly. "You look like a frightened rabbit."

"This place gives me the creeps," Terra complained, though there wasn't much heart in it. She hopped back onto the wall, and resumed staring out at the swamp. "I wonder what happened here, no one's around but the cats.." she chuckled awkwardly. "But I guess you've already found that out. Reina told me you've been up and about for a few days."

Cecil leaned against the wall, placing his elbows on the cold stone and staring back towards the warm glow of cooking fires as the cats began preparing their evening meal. It was hard to tell when the sun set in this place, as the sky stubbornly remained a dull, iron grey, only becoming a slightly darker shade of grey when the sun set which slowly turned to a more complete darkness when he wasn't paying attention.

"Why haven't you left for home yet? I thought you had a village around here..?" he looked around. "This can't be it, right..?"

She shook her head. "Of course not, but I have no idea where this is.." Terra spun around on the wall and stared towards the fires, the glow highlight her face in a warm shade of orange. "My village wasn't so deep in the swamp. Heck, I've never been this deep in the swamp before but there had always been stories of villages lost to some force of nature and swallowed up by the land. I guess this is one of them.."

Cecil stared at her for a second, then looked away once more, into the outer darkness. "Have you explored the outer edges of the town? If we can find out from the cats where we are, then I'm sure we can go home, well your home anyway," he added hurriedly.

"They don't know.. you don't think I've asked them?"

"Then how did they find us..?"

"The appearance of.. whatever that thing was.." she lapsed off into silence, staring off blankly into space as her mind wandered.

"I'm sure the cats will have at least some information on whatever it was.. right? They said something about it earlier when I woke up.." Cecil said as he saw a small melynx hop towards them.

It was one of the tiny ones, no more than a few months old by the looks of it. Of course Cecil couldn't tell which one it was, since they all looked the same to him at first glance. It paused in front of them, and stood up on two legs.

"Dinner's ready nya! Reina told me to come find the two of you, she had something to tell you nya," it said in a tiny voice, before hopping off back towards the fires.

"We might get our answers after all," Cecil said quietly, heaving himself off the wall. "Coming?" he offered a hand to Terra.

"Yeah.." she said quietly, hopping off the wall and walking off towards the fire.

Cecil shrugged, and followed her.

--

Meals were a communal affair, with every cat, small or big, gathered around the large bonfire in the middle of the circle of buildings. Food was always pre-prepared in giant steaming pots, platters of roasted game, fish and vegetables followed by berries and some fruit either salvaged from the swamp or grown by the cats themselves amongst the ruins.

Cecil sat down near the fire after collecting a small platter of fish and roasted peppers. A few cats wandered up, but soon settled down in their own little family groups and cliques. If there was one thing these cats knew how to do was cook. The food was always delicious, and this was no exception. The fish was small, and its bones soft, the whole thing melted in his mouth- bones and all. He sucked the juices from his greasy fingers, and looked around for Terra. She met his eyes from her own little corner near the fire, but looked away when she noticed his gaze.

He felt a small tap on his arm, and he looked down. It was a pale melynx, his storm cloud-grey fur was marred by one, pale white spot on his forehead. He was one of the older generation of cats, a direct offspring of Reina herself. Cecil remembered seeing him on the first day as one of the cats that had been taking care of him.

"What is it, Arish?" he said quietly.

"Reina will see you now, follow me nya.." the elder melynx whispered, gesturing for Cecil to follow.

He nodded, and went to put his used plate near the fire, before following the little cat off into the shadows into Reina's hut.

It was tiny compared to all the other buildings, and as snug as snug could be. Furs lined the walls, and a cheery fire blazed in one corner. Reina herself was curled up in front of the fire, but stood up when she heard the two of them enter.

"Ah, the young man has arrived," she said, smiling gently. Gesturing for him to sit, she wandered off into one of the dark corners of her hut, and Cecil heard faint rummaging sounds.

More footsteps approached the doorway, and the door opened with a soft creak. Cecil turned to see Terra walk in, following another small, old melynx he didn't recognise.

"Ah, our princess arrives too," Reina meowed gently, returning into the pool of light with something folded up under her arm. "You may go my sons, your mother appreciates your help."

The two melynxes bowed and meowed softly, then stepped out, closing the door behind them. The heat slowly spread through the room, closing out the bone-piercing chill outside.

Reina waved for Terra to sit down. She settled down on her knees near him, placing her hands on her thighs as she waited for Reina to speak. She treated the old felyne as reverentially as the other cats did.

"No need to be so formal, Terra," Reina smiled, settling herself down in front of the two of them, and laying what looked like a piece of folded-up piece of cured leather aside. "How do you two like it here? Be honest now, I won't bite," she finished with a warm smile, washing her paw as she watched the two of them with her wise eyes.

"It's nice here.. we can't thank you enough for your hospitality," Terra spoke up first. "But.. I'm sure you can understand.. we have a few questions."

Reina stopped washing herself, and finished with a slow nod of her head. "I know nya.. didn't really expect any less." She sighed softly, and looked between the two of them slowly.

"Not all of this used to be swamp. I was from the village of Hakkoa, too long ago for me to remember, though by your human standards, it probably wasn't that long ago." She paused, and chuckled softly to herself, "so many memories.. but I digress.

"This once used to be a lush forest, and this was a big town. I belonged to the top hunter of the village, a woman called Nara. She, and a dozen other hunters protected the village from everything that threatened it- they put their lives gladly on the line for the sake of the survival of this township.

"Some years ago, a taint was discovered in the forest. Patches of land where the trees withered, and died, to be replaced by fetid ponds of stagnant water, and.." she waved a paw. "The swamp you see today.. at first it was just isolated spots deep in the forest, but they spread like a plague. Eventually, it began to invade the town. Crops died, orchards withered, and no one could do anything about it. The forest around them was dying, and the humans were helpless to stop it. Help was sought, runners and messengers were sent to seek out other villages, but they either failed to return, or brought back news of other villages, abandoned and claimed by the same taint that was taking the forest. People began to abandon the village, moral plummeted, and people became depressed. It was all we could do to support the humans in those last days.."

Reina paused at this point, and looked down at her paws. "The hunters couldn't do a thing. They specialised in killing large creatures, how could they fight a foe they couldn't even see let alone attack? Man of the hunters volunteered to seek out help, none of them returned. Eventually, no more than a few were left.. my Nara was one of the last of the hunters. They decided to form a group, a last ditch attempt to seek out the outside world for help. For something.. _anything_ to save their home.

"It was when they were about to leave when the thing came. The same thing that you two saw.. I'd recognise that roar anywhere," she looked up directly into Cecil's eyes, which made him swallow. The look in her eyes, there was so much.. _pain_.

"It didn't attack, it didn't threaten us, but it brought with it the force of nature. The village was pounded by torrential rain for weeks. And it did nothing but perch on the edge of town, looking down at us like a god, knowing we couldn't do a thing against something that size. I've been around.. before I settled down in this village, and I've been with a few hunters in my lifetime, even accompanied them on hunts now and then. I have seen the legendary Elder Dragons and I have seen monsters larger than buildings, but _nothing_ compared to this thing. A force so powerful it had the power of nature itself behind it.

"When it finally left, the village was left a wreck. Almost nothing had survived the non-stop downpour, and the appearance of the thing was the last straw.. the humans all packed, and left their homes. Some of us decided to stay back, in case we could salvage something from it all, and perhaps the humans would return. Nara herself.. organised a hunting party with the last of the surviving hunters, and set out to find the beast that seemed to be behind all this. She promised me she would return when the beast was vanquished..

".. I have waited more than ten of your human years. No one ever came back. So we started building our own little township out of what the humans left behind, and the result is what you see here today."

She sighed deeply, and rubbed her eyes with her paws. The tale had obviously tired her quite a bit, and she was an old felyne. "My sons and daughters do their best, and we live fairly happily here, save for the occasional wyvern attack. We've built underground shelters for such events, and only a few of us had ever been claimed by the monsters."

Cecil was silent, slowly coming to grips with it all. He looked over at Terra, and saw that the girl was equally as troubled.

The three of them were quiet for a while, distant meows and the merry crackling of the fire the only things breaking the silence.

"I-" Cecil began.

"I'm going to kill it," Terra whispered.

Cecil looked at the girl incredulously. "You're joking. You saw the size of that thing, what can the two of us possibly do against something of that size? It knocked us out with its roar alone, imagine if that thing _attacked_ us! What do-"

"Shut up!" Terra snapped, glaring defiantly at him and standing up. Cecil sat there staring up at her, his lips partially open. "How can you even consider letting something like that live?! It obviously caused all this.. all this.. all _this_!" She placed her hands firmly on her hips, and glared down at him. "If you're not going to do anything about it, I will."

"Princess.." Reina said quietly. Terra's angry expression dissipated instantly. Taking a seep breath, she sat down quietly, head bowed in embarrassment.

"Sorry Reina.." she mumbled. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, princess. I understand your passion, it's only right for someone like yourself to feel that way.. my Nara was just as bad as you are," she smiled fondly. "But Cecil is also right.. there is no way you two will be able to even hurt the beast."

"Something that big can't possibly have any weakness," Cecil ventured.

Reina leaned down, and retrieved the folded-up leather. "This should help at least a little nya.." Putting it down in front of them, she gently unfolded it.

"What's this..?" Cecil breathed, wide-eyed.

A/N: Began slow, but eventually started picking up speed. ; Too much procrastination involved with this one, as I had no idea how I was going to introduce all the info in this chapter, but I somehow managed it . haha hope you enjoyed it nya x3


	4. I trust you

The two of them were quiet as they stepped out of Reina's hut, the deep, dark chill of the swamp night washing over them and draining what little warmth they brought from the snug little dwelling. Terra shivered, and pulled her coat tighter around herself.

"So what do you think," she said quietly. Everyone else had gone to sleep, and only the fire still burned in the middle of the buildings, driving away the encroaching darkness that beset them on every side. Terra walked towards it, and warmed her hands in its glow, seeking comfort in both the light and the gentle crackle of burning wood.

Cecil came up next to her, and looked down at the piece of leather in his hand. "We don't even know what the thing does beyond what we've seen and what Reina's told us."

She sighed. The man couldn't be depended on to help a starving orphan without assessing the risks first. "So I guess you're going to stay here for a few more days?" she said, turning to look at the man's distant expression. She'd need help, but if he wasn't going to be enthusiastic about it, then she'd have to do it alone.

Shrugging, Cecil handed her the piece of leather. "I know what you're thinking, and I want to kill the thing just as much as you do, but it's a little pointless rushing in without knowing what we should be doing, isn't it? We're the first people to come to village in years. You heard Reina, what happens if we die? No one else knows about this place, who's going to help them then?"

"If you want to be cautious then fine, but I'm going after the thing tomorrow," she waved the piece of leather in his face. "-With or without your help. So if you don't want to do this, then at least be honest and say it out straight instead of beating around the bush," she hissed, not wanting to yell and wake everyone up.

Not waiting for an answer, she stormed off. Closing the door to her little hut behind her, she leaned on the door, and rubbed her forehead with her free hand. "Men.. they can't be counted on after all," she muttered to herself as she placed the precious leather down near her pack, and collapsed on her bed.

--

It was still dark outside when she woke up again. The entire night had been taken up with the same nightmare. Darkness, rain, and something immeasurably huge- was it a God, or something just as fickle and destructive?

She couldn't remember how long their laid there, staring up at the ceiling and fighting off the last of the nightmare. Eventually she staggered out of the makeshift bed the cats had put together for her, and dressed. Terra paused in the process of putting on her coat. Changing her mind, she stripped it off, and instead donned her armour.

It was freezing cold. The fire outside must have died. Her teeth chattered like rattling bones as the icy metal of her armour slid over her barely-clad skin. She wished she had armour like Cecil's, more leather and hide than cold iron and shell. Briefly, Terra wondered what it was like where he came from. Up in the mountains, where snow blanketed everything.. it must be beautiful. She sighed wistfully, and gritted her teeth. Her breaths condensed into small puffs of white vapour as she stretched her muscles rigorously, trying to get warmth flowing through her body in this bastardly cold weather.

She giggled to herself as the thought registered. People back home would have fainted if they knew she had used language like that.

It cheered her somewhat to think of home, and familiar faces. It had only been a few weeks since she had left, but she missed those that had taken care of her all her life.

She wondered if they missed her as well. She smiled happily. It was hard not to miss someone like her.

Slightly more cheerful, Terra hummed to herself as she tidied up the little hut. Packing all her belongings back into her bags, she debated whether to take any food. The cats had already given her enough as it was, and she'd feel guilty if she just took their food like that.

The piece of leather was the last to be packed away. She wasn't sure whether to take it or not, but if Cecil didn't want to get involved then tough, she'd do it herself. No point leaving it for him.

'_That's what I get for thinking guild people would ever do something that didn't involve money,'_ she grumbled silently. Last night she had debated whether she should offer him a bounty or reward to help her, but she had rejected the idea. With each passing second her distaste for him had grown, and it had reached the state that she didn't want anything to do with him.

The hut was finally tidy- everything was folded up neatly and stacked. She nodded in satisfaction. No one could say she was ungrateful for their hospitality. Terra picked up her hammer on her way out, and rested it on her shoulder as she stepped out into the still-dark morning.

The girl closed her eyes, and took a deep breath of the frozen, morning air. As it seared through her nostrils, it washed away the last of the sleep hovering around in her body, and made her instantly awake. It was dark, the impenetrable darkness that always came just before dawn.

She couldn't see a single cat around. Good, they weren't up yet. That saved awkward farewells.

Cecil didn't seem to be up either. Thank Gods for that.

The bonfire from last night still smouldered in the huge pit the cats had dug for it, nothing more than small, glittering embers like stars. It provided enough warmth for her to stop shivering, and she was glad for it.

'_That coward..'_ she thought bitterly. Cecil was a hunter wasn't he? Where was his fire, his passion, to destroy such a plague upon the land? To hunt something of this magnitude? She stared into the dull orange glows and the shimmering heat haze that hovered above it, her expression darkening as Cecil lingered on her mind.

"I'll kill it, and then it'll all be better.." she whispered, more for herself than anyone else. "I'll kill it, and then he'll be sorry he didn't want to come."

Terra took a deep breath, and stared out into the swamp. Her hands were shaking as she left the warmth, striding purposefully towards the edge of town.

--

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Cecil asked quietly as he sat in front of Reina. The old cat stopped washing herself, and fixed him with a look.

"Of course I knew, I've been around humans enough to know what they're like," she smiled quietly and purred a little. "I'm glad you've calmed down a little at least."

".. What, so that's it? We're just going to let her go and get herself killed?" he had forced himself to sit after realising Reina wasn't about to give up whatever she knew if he was pacing up and down. Terra had disappeared, and along with her the precious piece of leather. Why was Reina being so calm about it?

"It's okay Cecil. I know you're frustrated, and most likely annoyed that I didn't tell you, but I'm surprised that you didn't see it coming yourself," Reina said in the same, calm voice. "Don't you know her that well?"

"I only barely met her when that thing attacked us," Cecil protested.

Reina let out a little feline giggle. "I know dear, I'm just teasing you. Loosen up a little- our little princess will be okay. I promise you nya."

Cecil backed down a little, embarrassed. "Sorry Reina," he muttered. "I'm just-"

"Worried?" Reina finished the sentence for him with a smile. "That's good, I'm glad I wasn't wrong about you.

"Your weapons and armour were damaged when we found you. What if you had gone with her with the broken equipment, what do you think would've happened, nya? Terra told me you aren't from around here, so you would only have hindered her. The swamp isn't like the mountains- there are a lot more dangers here."

"But why did you let her go anyway? Wouldn't it have been safer to ask her to wait.." Cecil trailed off when Reina shook her head, wagging her little paw at him.

"There's no holding back someone like her. If we had tried to stop her, it would've only antagonised someone like her, and adversity isn't something we can afford to keep between us.

"Now then," Reina smiled, and stood up, clapping her paws. "I've had some of my sons work on your armour and weapons with materials we gathered locally, and they assure me they've done a good job of it."

Reina walked past him to the door, and gestured for him to follow. Cecil stood obediently, and held the door open for the old felyne. There was a crowd of cats outside, and they all stopped and stared up at Cecil as the two of them emerged into the cold, morning air. The fire had been banked, and fresh firewood added. Cats bustled around its warmth, cleaning up after the morning meal and organising foraging parties to scavenge for food for the day.

Reina shooed everyone away. "Go back to your work nya!" she meowed loudly. Turning to Cecil, she looked at him in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, my dear. Some of them have never even seen a human before, only heard about it from their parents."

"It's okay, I'm used to it," Cecil smiled despite himself. The two humans had been gawked at by most of the cats every time they made an appearance, and were horribly popular with the kittens who enjoyed trying to climbing up their legs whenever they had the chance.

A few of the smallest kittens milled around now. Still unsteady on two feet, they stumbled and hopped after Reina and Cecil as they walked away from the small circle of buildings that surrounded the fire. One of them leapt, and latched itself onto Cecil's calf, hanging on for dear life with its tiny claws dug firmly into his fur pants.

Cecil laughed, his worries disappearing briefly as he stroked the tiny body attached to his leg. The kitten batted playfully at his hand, losing its grip and almost falling off. Catching the tiny body, Cecil hefted the small ball of fur onto his shoulder, placing it in the hood of his coat. "There you go, little one," he said. Something this small and furry just could not be resisted. The kitten meowed, and snuggled down in his hood, burying its small, warm body in amongst the soft nest of hairs.

"Her name's Lura," Reina looked up at Cecil as she led him to a building near the outskirts of the town. "Always looking for attention, that little one," she smiled. "Well, here we are."

Four melynxes looked up from their work as the two of them stepped into the dimly-lit building. It had been a blacksmith at one point, but hadn't been used in years. Tools rusted to the extent that they were no more than rugged lumps on the workbenches and flaking stalactites hanging from what remained of the ceiling beams. It felt more like a cave than a man-made structure.

The forge had been coaxed back to life, and Cecil could see the cats had been busy with makeshift tools to repair his armour and weapons, which hung from surprisingly well-built frames.

"Wow.." he whispered.

"Grandmama!" the cats meowed happily when they saw Reina.

Cecil left the cats to their affections, and approached the armour. He could still see his old armour under it all, but a lot of parts had been replaced. Joints and the stomach area had been reinforced with the same shell that he had seen Terra wear, the chainmail definitely had signs of repair, and the leather was gone, replaced by a dark grey, rubbery hide.

"We've reinforced your armour with cenataur shells, and the leather with gypceros hide nya. The leather was far beyond repair, and the gypceros hide would survive better in the humid swamp air nya."

Cecil looked down, one of the melynxes stood next to him, appraising his own handiwork with a proud expression on his face. He had a single white stripe running down the side of his body, but was otherwise completely black. His yellow eyes glowed eerily in the dim, orange glow of the forge.

"It was hard gathering the gypceros hide, but some of my brothers are absolutely wonderful at finding the most obscure materials nya, should really thank them for all this."

"What's a cenataur?" Cecil asked curiously, touching the pale blue shell that now covered parts of his armour. It was smooth and icy cold to the touch- like steel, but not as solid to the touch, and didn't feel anywhere as heavy, either.

"Well, it's a giant hermit crab nya. Probably about your size if you went down on all fours nya," the melynx giggled.

"What's a hermit crab?"

The little cat gave Cecil a look that made him feel horribly self-conscious. "It's like an insect nya, only it has four legs, wears other monsters' shells for protection, and tastes delicious nya."

Cecil cringed with disgust inside. They eat _insects_? He gave the cat a brief smile, and looked around the dark and gloomy building. "Where are my weapons?" he asked curiously.

"Thought you'd never ask nya! This way," the cat tugged at his leg, and padded off to another corner of the workshop. Cecil followed, noticing that the other three melynxes and Reina were still huddled together, talking in low voices about something.

Lura stirred in his hood, and poked her head over his shoulder. Her claws scrabbled for purchase as she clambered clumsily out of the warm fur pocket and onto his shoulder. Cecil placed a hand gently against the side of her tiny body, steadying it and giving her time to get a firm grip on the fur. She meowed in a tiny little voice that made Cecil melt inside.

The melynx gestured for him to stop, and walked off into a dark corner, returning a second later, staggering a little under the weight of his burden. Cecil stared at the weapon, barely recognising it as having been his own blade.

Picking up the weapon, Cecil hefted it, testing for it weight and balance. It was longer, and heavier than it used to be. The heavy blade was curved back gracefully, turning up near the tip to form a vicious stabbing hook. The back edge of the blade was also festooned with a series of jagged barbs that ran down its entire length. Cecil smiled in appreciation. Smooth, cutting edge on one side, and- he flipped the blade over- cruel, tearing barbs on the other.

There was one peculiar feature to the blade, however, a small lump the size of the ball of his thumb at the base of the blade. He rubbed it curiously, it was felt like piece of shell. A groove ran along the blade from the small anomaly. "What's this..?" Cecil asked curiously, tapping it.

"Be careful with it nya!" the melynx meowed, Cecil stopped playing with it, and lowered the blade. "It's a poison sac from an ioprey, a poison-producing monster. As you swing the blade, it'll produce venom, and run down the grooves. Be careful with it though, nya, the venom is fairly potent to humans."

'_Wow..'_ Cecil stared at the small melynx with admiration. No one back in his home village could possibly have come up with something like this. And the craftsmanship.. he ran his hand along the cold metal, reflecting the orange embers like a blade forged from a dying volcano. "It's beautiful," he whispered. "I can't thank you enough for this."

"No need to nya," the cat smiled, preening itself. Turning, he picked up something else, and offered it to Cecil. "We couldn't save your other blade, though, so we melted it down and made a shield nya."

Cecil took the shield. No bigger than a simple buckler, it was heavy, and felt comfortably solid in his hands. Reinforced by the same cenataur shells that adorned his armour strapped and secured to the metal base of the shield. Slipping his arm into the straps, he tested the weight of both weapon and shield. It felt comfortable enough, making him smile. He had missed the feeling of wielding weapons, and with this he regained some of the old feeling he thought he had lost.

Reina padded up silently behind him. "Having fun, dear?"

"I can't begin to thank you all for what you've done for me," Cecil crouched down, placing his sword carefully down in front of him. "I'll do my best, for all of you."

"I know you will dear," Reina smiled, placing a paw on his shoulder. "But you won't know your way around yet, I'll send some of my sons and daughters with you." Her expression turned wistful, "I really wish I could go with you.. I really do.. like the old days, when Nara would take me with her on her hunts."

"Don't worry Reina, I'll take care of it," Cecil promised solemnly, picking up his blade.

Reina sighed, and gently stroked the kitten still snuggled on Cecil's shoulder. "It's not.." she stopped and looked into his eyes. "I want the thing dead for destroying our way of life, but what would it achieve even if it dies? It won't bring me back my Nara.. it won't bring back anything.."

Cecil looked at the old cat quietly. He couldn't even begin to understand her pain, and it made him sad to think what she had gone through, to see everything around her destroyed, helpless to watch as her loved ones crumble to nothing.

"But I ramble.. I know it won't change a thing even if the thing was destroyed," Reina smiled weakly, looking down at the blade in front of her. "But it'll put us at ease- all my children and me. And perhaps one day, this village could come to life once more," she said softly.

Patting him gently on the arm, Reina turned. "I'll leave you to get ready. We will be waiting back near the fire."

--

The armour felt lighter. It fit his body better, and the rubbery hide felt pleasant compared to the leather he used to wear. His blade was sheathed carefully behind his waist, a specially designed sheath accommodated the blade comfortably while he wasn't using it.

Before he returned to the fire, he had gone back to the hut the cats had given him, and haphazardly stuffed everything he owned back into his pack, leaving the more important items on top while everything else he just crammed in whichever way he could fit them in. Dumping the full pack near the door, he set about trying to tidy up the room, except impatience and general untidiness meant that the room looked just as bad when he finished as before he had started.

Through it all, the kitten had stubbornly stayed with him, clinging onto his shoulder and watching him as he tried futilely to tidy. Occasionally she would meow, as if giving him advice. He wished he understood her, might have done a better job if he could understand the tiny kitten's advice.

Finally, with his bulging around his waist and Lura hanging onto his shoulder for dear life, Cecil rushed back to the fire in the centre of the village. Every cat in the village had gathered there, but a small group was set aside, huddled together with Reina at their head. Looked like she was giving them instructions, but they broke up when Cecil neared.

"These three will go with you, dear. They know the lay of the land around here, and I trust you are enough of a hunter to be able to follow our little princess," Reina said, pushing the other three melynxes forward.

"Shouldn't be too-"

A shrill roar split the sodden, grey skies, cutting right through Cecil's words.

"Khezu!" he snarled, drawing his sword. Looks like he'd get a chance to try it out earlier than he thought he would.

The cats milled around. In the organized chaos of near-panic, they streamed back into their dwellings, seeking refuge in the underground shelters dug under each house.

Reina was the last to leave. She gave Cecil one last reassuring look. "I trust you," she smiled, before she strode back to her own hut, dignified and unhurried.

Taking a deep breath, Cecil turned to the three melynxes. "It'll be after me, I think it's the same khezu I messed before you found me, and if I know those things it'll be angry. I'm going to head for the edge of town, so it doesn't cause any unnecessary destruction here."

The cats all nodded, and drew their own weapons. A long, thin, rapier like blade; a bow; and what looked like a giant fang strapped to a sturdy staff. "We're with you, nya, we won't let you down," one promised.

Cecil nodded in thanks. Though he had always hunted alone for as long as he could possibly recall, it felt good to know what someone had his back. He hurried away from the bonfire, sword held steady in one hand. Hot blood rushed through his body as he anticipated the impending conflict.

A small meow made him freeze, and almost stumble over a ruined wall.

Lura was still sitting on his shoulder! How could anyone have missed it?! Looking around, he started to panic, what was he going to do with her? He couldn't just leave her out here, but taking her into combat on his shoulder..

"Come here you," he muttered, picking the tiny kitten up by the scruff of her neck and stuffing her gently into his pack. "No matter what you do, don't come out, okay?" he told her sternly.

Another roar lanced through the deathly silent village. Cecil turned towards the source, he could make out the slow, ponderous beating of wings now. "This way," he said.

There it was- a lighter, grey smudge against the grimy backdrop of the sky. It approached them slowly, and soon Cecil could make out its stubby toes, the disgusting, phallus-shaped head, and its stubby, yet somehow functional wings.

Without warning, the thing screamed, and plummeted towards the earth. Cecil watched, bewildered, as it belly flopped amongst the buildings, crushing deteriorating masonry and wood under its tremendous weight. It lay there as he rushed towards the downed beast, unmoving but panting heavily.

'_The poison from that gypceros thing must have been more potent than it looked,'_ Cecil thought to himself as he snuck closer and could make out more detail. The base of its right wing and its back was a mass of festering flesh, purple and discoloured in contrast to its normally pale complexion like a huge bruise. Vile-smelling pus leaked from dozens of pustules, the greenish-yellow fluid spilling onto the ground from where the khezu lay. Veins stained by the venom branched out from the horrendous wound, pumping a continuous stream of venom and toxins through the khezu's system. It was a wonder the thing could fly at all.

'_It would be a mercy to kill this thing..' _Cecil clutched his weapon a little tighter as he slowed his approach to the almost certainly dying khezu. Just because it was dying didn't meant he should rush in, caution still had to be practised.

It seemed to sense him, its head turning uncertainly towards him and its lips drawing back. With each heavy breath, a cloud of white vapour condensed in front of its mouth, but it didn't do anything. Man and wyvern stood still, staring at each other and poised to see who would make the first move.

For a moment Cecil thought the thing was just going to lay back and die.

As if reading his thoughts, the khezu's throat rumbled. Its neck shot forward, incredibly fast for something so badly injured. Cecil barely had time to roll to one side, the slimy skin of the wyvern brushing ever so lightly against the side of his body. He got back up, in time to see the khezu's neck retracting, and the thing struggling to its feet.

The wyvern screamed, crouching down and throwing its entire weight forward in an attempt to crush him. Cecil rolled to his left, diving forward to avoid the giant wyvern's overwhelming weight as it shook the earth with its impact, pulverizing the rubble under its body.

Spinning, Cecil rolled to his feet, blade raised. Slamming the jagged hook deep into the khezu's wounded flesh, he tore downwards, the teeth ripping open its already rotten flesh like butter, letting loose a stream of viscous, black blood that hissed when it came into contact with the ground.

The khezu growled weakly, and spun around to face Cecil, bubbles of dark blood frothing at the edge of its lips as it prepared to attack once more.

A tiny arrow buried itself in the side of the khezu's head, making the thing flinch, throwing flecks of its blood all over the place as the cats advanced behind Cecil. One rushed in, stabbing its blade directly up at the khezu's throat, but grazed its flabby hide instead, barely cutting into it. The second kept up an almost constant stream of arrows, distracting the giant wyvern while the three of them attacked it mercilessly. The last melynx buried its bone pick in the khezu's flesh behind its leg, using it as a handhold to clamber onto the thing's back.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Cecil watched as the cat took out a small barrel from its backpack, planting it on the khezu's back and lighting a tiny fuse. The khezu spun, trying to find out what it was on its back, but too delirious with pain and the effects of the venom to think to use its shock.

Cecil raised his shield, and smashed it as hard as he could into the khezu's bared teeth. It didn't do much, if anything at all, but it provided a precious moment of distraction while the melynx leapt off its back, grabbing its weapon as the small bomb exploded with devastating effect.

Blackened flesh flew everywhere as the khezu thrashed in pain. A smoking crater where the wound used to be, the disturbingly pleasant smell of its burnt flesh filled the air around it. Cecil dove away from the beast as it collapsed, its broken body somehow still housing life as it hung on grimly by a toe.

Cecil's watched the dying khezu struggle weakly to get back up, feeling a mixture of sympathy and disgust at the creature. Approaching it, he got a firm, two-handed grip on his sword. He didn't bother with formalities, didn't bother waiting. Cecil swung the blade down as hard as he could, burying the sharp, cutting edge deep into the khezu's exposed throat. Bubbles frothed from the thing's ruptured windpipe, leaking what was left of its lifeblood onto the dirty earth below it.

'_I'm shaking..'_ Cecil realised, stepping back and letting his sword drop to his side. His hands were trembling as he watched the khezu's movements weaken, and finally still. The stench of its death and its corrupt flesh filled the clearing, but Cecil paid it no heed.

"Are you okay nya..?" one of the melynxes came up, and looked up at him worriedly.

"I'm.. I'm okay.." Cecil said quietly, sheathing his sword and taking off his helmet. "Is everyone else okay?"

"We're fine, but I don't think Erial is.." the cat said sadly.

Cecil turned, in time to see the other melynx drag the broken body of the third from under the khezu. His mouth dropped. "How.." he didn't bother finishing his sentence. The khezu must have crushed the poor thing when it fell over in its death throes.

He felt something shift in his hip pouch, and it opened. Lura hopped out onto the ground, nuzzling around the little puddles of khezu blood, sniffing it curiously.

Cecil knelt beside Erial's crushed corpse. Her long blade had snapped, but the melynx had held on grimly to the handle even in death. Her broken body made his heart clench. He hadn't even gotten to know the melynx.

"I'm sorry.." he whispered.

He closed his eyes, and said a silent prayer for the departed one.

Standing up, Cecil looked at the other two melynxes. They were both quiet, looking up at him for guidance.

Shrill cries broke the solemn silence, dozens upon dozens of cries echoing and answering each other ringing out over the ruins.

"I think we better go, nya."


End file.
